P3A image quality issues

[AlexPhantom06]

Hi all.
I'm a new owner of a P3A that i have for 1 week now.
I'm a professionnal videographer, so I'm used to color grade and work on video footages (DSRL 8 bits compressed footage, but i work a lot as well on blackmagic cameras, ProRes 422 10 bits or raw video 12 bits footage).

Now, i have to say i'm a bit disapointed with the video quality of the P3A, especially when it comes to sharpness.

More then that, it seems to me that as long as your landscape is fully lit by a direct sun light, you can achieve reasonably correct sharpness.
Now, when it's cloudy, and the sun is not hitting directly the landscape, you get a sudden incredibly loss of details and sharpness, that is impossible to work with in a professionnal project.

I uploaded some screenshots of my footage here, with the detailed settings, and a video footage :

DJI Phantom 3 Advanced – image testing – Images d'Azur

Am i doing something wrong ? Any feedback is much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[RedHotPoker]

The Phantom 3 Pro with Lightbridge & awesome 4K video seems much more suited to your photography professionalism and to current requirements, of your cut... ;-)
If exchange is a possibility, please do so... Ha

RedHotPoker

 

[AlexPhantom06]

Thanks for the answer. Yes i can send it back to amazon, 30 days refund.
Is there a noticeable image quality difference between the P4 and P3P?
Im considering getting one of both.
Thanks

 

[Rich UK]

So is this level of quality normal? Many of my images look quite a lot like yours.... I've wondered if they should be better though.

Sent from my SM-G900F using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[Reed L]

I would definitely shoot again without the filters on being that the filters add the blur... I hate to say it but it looks like the filters are causing it.

 

[RedHotPoker]

Thanks for the answer. Yes i can send it back to amazon, 30 days refund.
Is there a noticeable image quality difference between the P4 and P3P?
Im considering getting one of both.
Thanks

I have no experience personally with a Phantom 4. But it really only adds a few features, unnecessary to my piloting style or photography needs. Object avoidance? Yeah, or learn to fly, unless you are very reckless and/or need to run up against your intended shooting target. ;-)

RedHotPoker

 

[AlexPhantom06]

I would definitely shoot again without the filters on being that the filters add the blur... I hate to say it but it looks like the filters are causing it.

Thanks
Yes indeed i tried it without filter,and sharpness = 0, and the image is more sharp.

Is it normal that PolarPro CINE serie with Pola (the most expensive in this brand) add that amount of blur ?
Is it due to the POLA filter maybe ?
I am a bit lost here...

 

[Meta4]

Is there a noticeable image quality difference between the P4 and P3P?
Im considering getting one of both.

There is very little difference in image quality and most users can't see any.
The P3 pro and Advanced use the same camera but the Pro version has an extra chip to handle 4K processing.
The P4 camera is the same camera with a slightly different lens.
6 Months after Release.. What's the consensus around P4 VS P3?

 

[With The Birds]

Lets start with the positive here, the acceptably sharp frame grab gives confidence that the camera doesnt have a focus issue (a lot or P3 have had problems unfortunately).

How did the exposure look in your scopes? IQ goes south very quickly with underexposure. Increasing ISO also intriduces a lot of noise and loss of detail.

 

[Reed L]

Maybe your looking for something better then the stock lens can take. I don't use the Polar Pro lenses, so I have no insight on those but... There are better glass main lenses available here. You Can call and talk with them, chat, etc - DJI Phantom 4 Lenses – Peau Productions

 

[Daddy-Rabbit]

Lens hood seemed to sharpen my images.

 

[Numone]

I use this cheapest of cheap gel ND filters and they don't make much difference to the sharpness of the shots. However I do not use higher than ND8, which could be a reason I suppose.

 

[Numone]

Lens hood seemed to sharpen my images.

Really? How? Just by stopping lens flare?

 

[helis4life]

Hi Everyone, Thought I would also join this thread instead of creating a separate one. I also own a P3 Adv, and have noticed that the quality of the imagery isnt that good under certain circumstances. I notice that the images contain high levels of noise/grain in low light situations, significant chromatic aberration, quite noticeable distortion on the edges.

I printed out a focus chart and took images of it with the P3 from different distances, raw + Jpeg. Raw images usually turn out ok, just quite noisy, possibly due to too low light. However the jpegs are total garbage by comparison, random portions of the image are blurry and seemingly out of focus. With auto settings the jpegs have the same issue.

The focus was reasonably sharp, but there was noticeable CA around the edges of the pattern. I was hoping someone else happy with their P3 images/footage could take a few shots of a focus chart and upload for comparisons sake?

Also, what is the minimum focal distance of the P3 camera?

 

[Meta4]

I printed out a focus chart and took images of it with the P3 from different distances .... Also, what is the minimum focal distance of the P3 camera?

It's intended for aerial photography so it's not made for focusing on close objects but being a very wideangle lens it has good depth of field.

 

[SimonH78]

You get the best quality on the "Advance" by using 1080P 60 in the NTSC mode as it then rights the video at the "max bitrate 60mbps" just like the Pro its the only setting it will do this on- give that a try without those fileters, then adjust the frame rate when your exporting from Premier Pro - PS its a good camera on these but its not like a pro dslr

 

[Numone]

This is not a $1,500 DSLR, so I really do think the expectations of some are somewhat ridiculous. Let's get some perspective; the P3 and 4 both have tiny sensors and a fixed wide-angle lens so, in my opinion, its never going to be anything but a compromise. All I can say are that a number of RAW shots that I've PP'd in Photoshop are amazing; the JPEGs are good too. Also, in my opinion, watching footage (and this is what its really all about, isn't it?) in full HD on a good quality HD TV can be breathtaking in its depth, sharpness and detail. In fact, what this amazing piece of high technology produces is arguably far better than the professional heli shots that used to be the "de facto" broadcast standard only 10 years ago.

 

[Daddy-Rabbit]

Really? How? Just by stopping lens flare?

The hood will help block out light that is coming into the lens and causing flare by striking the outer lens elements (the glass pieces that make up the entire lens) at a less than optimal angle. This is light that never would have made it to the sensor and isn’t needed. Instead, it causes those discolored spots you might have seen, shaped like the lens aperture (typically a hexagon or octagon). While lens flare also occurs from light coming directly into the lens, flare from off-angle light can be prevented.
Credit given to Why You Should Use Your Lens' Hood

 

[Numone]

The hood will help block out light that is coming into the lens and causing flare by striking the outer lens elements (the glass pieces that make up the entire lens) at a less than optimal angle. This is light that never would have made it to the sensor and isn’t needed. Instead, it causes those discolored spots you might have seen, shaped like the lens aperture (typically a hexagon or octagon). While lens flare also occurs from light coming directly into the lens, flare from off-angle light can be prevented.
Credit given to Why You Should Use Your Lens' Hood

Yeah, as I said.... lens flare, so eliminating that doesn't "sharpen" the image.